Despite Hollywood Links, Frankie Muniz Lets Slip Struggles to Find Sponsorships Amid NASCAR Step-Up

You might know Muniz from his lead role in the sitcom Malcolm in the Middle and the movie series Coddy Banks, but he’s now a full-time NASCAR driver. A Hollywood actor taking up racing as a career switch is a big deal and has brought attention to NASCAR’s lowest tier, the Craftsman Truck Series.

After a full season of racing in the ARCA in 2023, Muniz made his Truck and Xfinity Series debut this year. And he’s now locked himself as a full-time driver for Reaume Brothers Racings, driving the #33 Ford Truck from 2025. However, the driver had ambitious plans for his first full season, as he wanted more races under his belt. But the lack of sponsorships is holding him back from gaining more experience.

Frankie Muniz is still learning the tricks of the trade in NASCAR

NASCAR teams rely on sponsorship money to help them mitigate the cost of racing on the track along with other expenses. Had this been the 2000s, Muniz would have had a line out of his office or race shop of potential companies wanting to be on his race car. But times have changed, and sponsorship money is hard to come by.

Big corporations like GEICO, FedEx, and Hooters, who have all been associated with the sport, are restricting their spending in NASCAR. So you can only imagine how the lower-tier teams would be operating in the Trucks and the Xfinity level. Going by Frankie Muniz’s words, a lot of family and friends are supporting the current drivers. But being a newbie, he doesn’t have the connections nor extra cash to expand his race schedule for 2025.

Speaking to Bob Pockrass, Muniz said, “I was watching the sports center, and they were talking about me joining the Truck Series. So great in the sense that maybe it’s getting eyeballs to the Series that don’t watch, and I hope so. And at the same time I go, my phone isn’t ringing off the hook with potential sponsors; that’s part of the job you’re constantly searching for money. I would say 90 percent of being a race car driver is finding funding to continue to do it.”

He understands that partnership should be a win-win proposition for both parties involved. And he is currently trying to pitch his ideas to convenience potential investors. “A lot of it is relationships and finding someone who believes what you’re trying to do, and that where we are trying to tell the story of what we’re trying to achieve and what we could offer to them, it’s got to be a win-win for everybody, and that’s what we try to do as a team and as a driver to make sure that they’re not just writing the cheque and we go racing,” Muniz added.

However, there’s no denying the fact that full-time opportunities were knocking on Muniz’s doors. And he’s serious about his racing adventures; it’s not a one-time thing, which is evident from his track record.

A full-time ride was always in Muniz’s plans

His 2023 season racing in ARCA was perhaps his first big test. The Series is a testing ground and separates casual drivers from serious ones. And by running all 20 races in the calendar year, he made his intentions clear. A total of ten top 10 finishes saw him finish 4th in the points standings and opened new doors for him to move up in the ranks.

Muniz was tight-lipped about his 2024 plans, but he announced that he would make his Truck and Xfinity Series debut. The driver seemed to have made the most of the Ford partnership in securing these races, but many were hoping for a full-time gig, which didn’t come in 2024. Unlike his 2023 heroics, there’s nothing to rave about Muniz’s on-track performances this year.

Two P30 or worst finishes in Xfinity driving the #35 Joey Gase Motorsports car, and similar outings with Reaume Brothers in the Truck Series. For many, it looked like a step down for Muniz in his bid to compete at the top level, until he announced his plans for 2025 as a full-time driver. Securing a full-time ride is one thing, and proving to be a good enough race car driver is a different ballgame altogether.

Needless to say, plenty of attention and eyes will be on Frankie Muniz and how he performs. Will he succeed, or will he turn out to be just another race car driver? No one knows. His fate will be in his hands next year, and it will be interesting to see how far he goes.